This invention relates generally to the field of data communications systems and more specifically to receivers and transmitters for processing optical data bits.
When transmitting data between separate digital circuits or processing units, fiber optic conductors or links may be used to transmit the data. Use of fiber optic signals permits transmission of data at higher speeds and at reasonable costs. However, the high frequency of optical signals on fiber optic conductors exceeds the recovery rate of many optical receiver and transmitter systems, particularly systems using silicon devices. Thus, the slower conventional optical receivers are unable to optimally sample and recover the high speed optical transmission data.
Thus, there is a need for an effective receiver and transmitter system capable of processing high speed optical transmission data.
The present invention advantageously permits devices having slower recovery times, which are still fast enough to see the incoming signal, to be used for selectively sampling an incoming high frequency optical data bit stream.
The present invention also advantageously eliminates the sampling problems encountered by conventional optical receivers.
The present invention also advantageously provides a receiver which is capable of receiving optical data bits streams for a wide range of bandwidths by use of multiple clock signals.
The present invention also advantageously provides a receiver which can be used with various types of conventional processing circuits for reforming the received optical data bits into desired output patterns.
The present invention advantageously provides a transmitter capable of transmitting a high frequency optical data bit stream.
The present invention also advantageously provides a system which prevents interference between an outgoing optical data bit stream and an incoming optical data bit stream.
The present invention provides the above advantages, as well as others, through a receiver for detecting a stream of optical data bits which are transmitted as light at a predetermined frequency by a fiber optic conductor. Each of the bits have a state that is valid for a period. The receiver includes a plurality of optically-active devices arranged on an integrated circuit substrate in an array. The plurality of optically-active devices are capable of being positioned to receive the stream of optical data bits which are transmitted as light, and each of the optically active devices is capable of detecting light in an optically active state and generating a detected signal corresponding thereto. The receiver further includes a control circuit that receives a clock signal at a rate corresponding to the predetermined frequency and generates control signals which cause a different one of the plurality of optically-active devices to be in the optically active state during each successive period and thereby detect the presence of light during each of said successive periods and generate the detected signals corresponding to the data bit stream.